Coaxial Smart Susceptor

ABSTRACT

A coaxially arranged smart susceptor conductor, comprising a smart susceptor core comprising an alloy having a first Curie temperature point and a first smart susceptor shell coaxially arranged around the smart susceptor core. The first smart susceptor shell comprising a second Curie temperature point that is different than the first Curie temperature point of the smart susceptor core. In one arrangement, the second Curie temperature point of the first smart susceptor shell is lower than the first Curie temperature point of the smart susceptor core. In another arrangement, the smart susceptor conductor further comprises a second smart susceptor shell disposed about the first smart susceptor shell. The second smart susceptor shell comprising a third Curie temperature point.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/548,045 filed Nov. 19, 2014. The entire disclosure contents ofthis application is herewith incorporated by reference into the presentapplication.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to smart susceptors for usewith heating blankets. More particularly, the present disclosure relatesto coaxial smart susceptors for use with heating blankets and method forheating a structure to a substantially uniform temperature across thestructure.

BACKGROUND

The reworking of composite structures frequently requires the localizedapplication of heat. When installing a patch in a rework area of acomposite structure, heat must typically be applied to the adhesive atthe bondline between the patch and rework area in order to fully curethe adhesive. When applying heat to the patch, the temperature of thebondline must typically be maintained within a temperature range thatmust be held for an extended period of time until the adhesive is cured.Overheating or under heating the rework area or structure locatedadjacent to the rework area is generally undesirable during the reworkprocess.

Conventional heating equipment for heating composite structures mayinclude heating blankets comprised of electrically resistive heatingelements. Variations in the construction of conventional heatingblankets may result in differential heating across the rework area. Inaddition, conventional heating blankets may lack the ability tocompensate for heat sinks located adjacent to the rework area. Such heatsinks may comprise various elements such as stiffeners, stringers, ribs,bulkheads and other structural members in thermal contact with thestructure. Attempts to provide uniform heat distribution usingconventional resistive heating blankets include multi-zone blanketsystems, feedback loop systems, positive temperature coefficient heatingelements, and temperature stabilizing plugs. Additions of such systemsto conventional resistive heating blankets are generally ineffective inproviding a substantially uniform temperature without substantialvariation across the bondline of the rework area.

As can be seen, there exists a need for a system and method for heatinga structure such as a rework area of a composite structure in a mannerwhich maintains a substantially uniform temperature across the reworkarea. More specifically, there exists a need for a system and method foruniformly heating a composite structure and which accommodates heatdrawn from the rework area by heat sinks and other thermal variationslocated adjacent to the rework area. Furthermore, there exists a needfor a system and method for uniformly heating a composite structure in amanner which prevents overheating or under heating of the compositestructure. Ideally, such system and method for uniformly heating thecomposite structure is low in cost and simple in construction. There isalso a need for a system that provides for temperature regulation over abroad range of temperatures typically required for composite processing,for example, from about 70° F. to about 350° F.

SUMMARY

According to an exemplary arrangement, a coaxially arranged smartsusceptor conductor is disclosed. In one arrangement, the coaxiallyarranged smart susceptor comprises a smart susceptor core comprising analloy having a first Curie temperature point and a first smart susceptorshell coaxially arranged around the smart susceptor core. The firstsmart susceptor shell comprising a second Curie temperature point thatis different than the first Curie temperature point of the smartsusceptor core.

In one arrangement, the second Curie temperature point of the firstsmart susceptor shell is lower than the first Curie temperature point ofthe smart susceptor core.

In another arrangement, the smart susceptor conductor further comprisesa second smart susceptor shell disposed about the first smart susceptorshell. The second smart susceptor shell comprising a third Curietemperature point.

In one arrangement, a method for heating a structure using inductionheating is disclosed. The method comprising the steps of positioning acoaxial susceptor near a structure; positioning a first conductor nearthe coaxial susceptor; applying an alternating current to the firstconductor; generating a magnetic field in response to the alternatingcurrent applied to the first conductor; generating eddy currents thattravel circumferentially in the coaxial susceptor in response to themagnetic field generated by the first conductor; and heating the coaxialsusceptor as a result of the generated eddy currents so as to heat thestructure to a uniform temperature. The method further comprising thestep of arranging the coaxial susceptor within the conductor. The methodfurther comprising the step of arranging the coaxial susceptor withinalternating conductors of the conductor. The coaxial susceptor may bearranged such that a longitudinal axis of the coaxial susceptor residessubstantially perpendicular to an alternating current flowing throughthe conductor. The method may include the further step of positioning asecond conductor near the coaxial susceptor; applying an alternatingcurrent to the second conductor; generating a magnetic field in responseto the alternating current applied to the second conductor; generatingeddy currents in the coaxial susceptor in response to the magnetic fieldgenerated by the second conductor; and heating the coaxial susceptor asa result of the generated eddy currents so as to heat the structure to auniform temperature.

The features, functions, and advantages can be achieved independently invarious embodiments of the present disclosure or may be combined in yetother embodiments in which further details can be seen with reference tothe following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the illustrativeembodiments are set forth in the appended claims. The illustrativeembodiments, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, furtherobjectives and descriptions thereof, will best be understood byreference to the following detailed description of an illustrativeembodiment of the present disclosure when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a composite structure having arework area formed therein;

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustration of the rework area of FIG. 1 andillustrating a vacuum bag assembly and a heating blanket applied to therework area and further illustrating a heat sink comprising a stringerextending along a portion of the rework area on a bottom surfaced of thecomposite structure;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional illustration of the composite structuretaken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and illustrating the stringer (i.e., heatsink) which may draw heat from localized portion of the rework area;

FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration of a heating blanket in anembodiment as may be used for heating the rework area of the compositestructure, the heating blanket comprising a flattened helical wireconductor positioned perpendicular to an array of coaxial susceptorwires that are positioned within the flattened helical wire conductor;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the heating blanket illustrated inFIG. 4 (with the housing and matrix removed) illustrating the helicalwire conductor connected to a power supply, a controller, and a sensor,and with an array of coaxial susceptor wires contained within thehelical wire conductor;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional illustration of the heating blanket takenalong line 4-4 of FIG. 4 and illustrating the array of coaxial susceptorwires provided within the helical wire conductor for induction heatingthereof in response to magnetic fields generated by an alternatingcurrent applied to the helical wire conductor;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of one of the plurality of coaxialsusceptor wires illustrated in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an illustration of a plot of heat output measured overtemperature for an embodiment of an exemplary array of coaxial susceptorwires;

FIG. 9 is an illustration of an alternative coaxial susceptor andconductor arrangement that may be used in a heating blanket, such as theheating blanket illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 10 is an illustration of an alternative heating blanket layout ofthe alternative coaxial susceptor and conductor arrangement illustratedin FIG. 10;

FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of an alternative heating blanketconnected to a power supply, a controller and a sensor and illustratingthe coaxial susceptor and conductor arrangement illustrated in FIG. 9housed within a housing of the heating blanket;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional illustration of the heating blanket takenalong line 11-11 of FIG. 11 and illustrating the conductor provided witha coaxial susceptor spirally surrounding the conductor for inductionheating thereof in response to a magnetic field generated by analternating current applied to the conductor; and

FIG. 13 is an enlarged sectional illustration of the conductor andcoaxial susceptor arrangement of FIG. 12 surrounded by thermallyconductive matrix and illustrating a magnetic field encircling thecoaxial susceptor and generating an eddy current in the coaxialsusceptor oriented in a direction opposite the direction of the magneticfield.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all ofthe disclosed embodiments are shown. Indeed, several differentembodiments may be provided and should not be construed as limited tothe embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are providedso that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fullyconvey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes ofillustrating preferred and various embodiments of the disclosure onlyand not for purposes of limiting the same, shown in FIG. 1 is aperspective illustration of a composite structure 10 upon which a reworkprocess may be implemented using a heating blanket 54 illustrated inFIGS. 2-7. The heating blanket 54 illustrated in FIGS. 2-7 and asdisclosed herein may be installed on a patch 40 which may be receivedwithin a rework area 20 as illustrated in FIG. 1. The heating blanket 54as disclosed herein may apply heat to the rework area 20 in order toelevate the temperature of the rework area 20 to a uniform temperaturethroughout the rework area 20 in order to cure adhesive bonding thepatch 40 to the rework area 20 and/or to cure the composite materialforming the patch 40. In various embodiments, the heating blanket 54 asdisclosed herein incorporates a combination of a plurality of coaxialsmart susceptors comprising magnetic materials and high frequencyalternating current in order to attain temperature uniformity to astructure 10 to which the heating blanket 54 is applied. In onepreferred arrangement, and as will be described in greater detail below,the plurality of coaxial smart susceptors are positioned within aconductor comprising a Litz wire that is wound in a flattened helix(i.e., a solenoid structure). In another preferred arrangement, and aswill be described in greater detail below, the plurality of coaxialsmart susceptors comprise spring formed coaxial smart susceptors thatare positioned around a conductor, such as a Litz wire. Alternativecoaxial smart susceptor configurations are also disclosed.

Advantageously, and as will be discussed in greater detail herein, thetemperature-dependent magnetic properties such as the Curie temperatureof the magnetic materials used in an array of coaxial susceptor wirescontained within the heating blanket 54 may prevent overheating or underheating of areas to which the heating blanket 54 may be applied. Inaddition, the coaxial smart susceptors comprises a core of a firstmagnetic material and at least one shell provided around this innercore. The at least one shell comprises a magnetic material that has adifferent Curie temperature than the first magnetic material of theinner core. In this manner, the coaxial smart susceptors of the heatingblanket 54 facilitates the uniform application of heat to structuressuch as composite structures 10 (FIG. 1) during a manufacturing orrework process or any other process where uniform application of heat isrequired over an enhanced temperature ranges. Importantly, the heatingblanket 54 comprising an array of coaxial susceptor wires wherein thecoaxial susceptor wire comprises two or more magnetic materialscomprising two or more different Curie temperatures provide for agreater temperature regulation over a wider range of temperatures (e.g.,from about 70° F. to about 350° F.).

In addition, the heating blanket 54 compensates for heat sinks 28(FIG. 1) that may draw heat away from portions of a structure 10(FIG. 1) to which the heating blanket 54 is applied. More specifically,the heating blanket 54 continues to provide heat to portions of thestructure 10 located near such heat sinks 28 while areas underneath theheating blanket 54 that have reached or attained the Curie temperaturecease to provide heat to the rework area 20.

For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a composite structure 10 which mayinclude a skin 12 formed of plies 14 of composite material and whereinthe skin 12 may have upper and lower surfaces 16, 18. The compositestructure 10 may include a rework area 20 in the skin 12 formed by theremoval of composite material. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the rework area20 may be formed in the upper surface 16 and may extend at leastpartially through a thickness of the skin 12 although the rework area 20may be formed in any configuration through the skin 12. Variousstructures may be mounted to the lower surface 18 opposite the reworkarea 20 such as stringers 30 which may act as heat sinks 28 drawing heataway from certain portions of the rework area 20 while the remainingportions continually receive heat from the heating blanket 54 (FIG. 2).Advantageously, the heating blanket 54 (FIG. 2) facilitates the uniformapplication of heat to the structure 10 by reducing heat input toportions of the rework area 20 that reach approximately the Curietemperature of the magnetic materials in the heating blanket 54 whilemaintaining a relatively higher level of heat input to portions of therework area 20 that are below the Curie temperature as will be describedin greater detail below.

Referring still to FIGS. 2-3, the heating blanket 54 is illustrated asbeing mounted to the composite structure 10 over the patch 40. A vacuumbag assembly 100 may be installed over the heating blanket 54. Thevacuum bag assembly 100 may include a bagging film 116 covering theheating blanket 54 and which may be sealed to the upper surface 16 ofthe composite structure 10 by means of sealant 122. A vacuum probe 118and vacuum gauge 120 may extend from the bagging film 116 to a vacuumgenerator to provide a mechanism for drawing a vacuum on the baggingfilm 116 for application of pressure and to draw out volatiles and othergasses that may be generated as a result of heating uncured compositematerial of the patch 40.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3, the vacuum bag assembly 100 may include acaul plate 102 positioned above a porous or non-porous parting film 110,108. The caul plate 102 may facilitate the application of uniformpressure to the patch 40. The porous or non-porous parting film 110, 108may prevent contact between the caul plate 102 and the patch 40. Thevacuum bag assembly 100 may include additional layers such as a bleederlayer 112 and/or a breather layer 114. The patch 40 may be receivedwithin the rework area 20 such that a scarf 44 formed on the patch edge42 substantially matches a scarf 24 formed at the boundary 22 of therework area 20. In this regard, the interface between the patch 40 andrework area 20 comprises the bondline 46 wherein adhesive is installedfor permanently bonding the patch 40 to the rework area 20 and includesadhesive located at the bottom center 26 portion of the rework area 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, thermal sensors 70 such as thermocouples 72 may bestrategically located on upper and lower surfaces 16, 18 of thecomposite structure 10 such as adjacent to the rework area 20 in orderto monitor the temperature of such areas during the application of heatusing the heating blanket 54. In this regard, thermocouples 72 may beplaced on heat sinks 28 such as the stringer 30 body and stringerflanges 32 illustrated in FIG. 3 in order to monitor the temperature ofsuch heat sinks 28 relative to other areas of the composite structure10.

FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration of a heating blanket 54 in anembodiment as may be used for heating the rework area of the compositestructure. The heating blanket 54 comprising a flattened helical wireconductor 80 and an array of coaxial susceptor wires 82. Preferably, thearray of coaxial susceptor wires 82 are arranged within alternatingconductors of the helical wire conductor 80 of the heating blanket. Morepreferably, the array of coaxial susceptor wires are arrangedperpendicular to the plurality of conductor portions making up thehelical wire conductor 80. In one preferred arrangement, the flattenedhelical wire conductor 80 comprises a Litz wire that is wound in aflattened helical like structure (e.g., a solenoid) so as to define aplurality of alternating conductors.

For example, FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the heating blanket54 illustrated in FIG. 4 (with the heating blanket housing 58 and matrix78 removed) so as to illustrate the helical wire conductor 80 connectedto a power supply 90, a controller 92, and a sensor 94. As illustrated,the helical wire conductor 80 comprises a unitary wire that winds backand forth between a first side S₁ of the heating blanket 54 and a secondside S₂ of the heating blanket in a flattened helical structure, along alength L_(HB) of the heating blanket 54. Importantly, in thisillustrated arrangement of the heating blanket 54, the coaxial susceptorwires 82 are positioned between the alternating conductors or wiresmaking up the helical wire conductor 80 for inductive heating of thearray of coaxial susceptor wires 82 in the presence of an alternatingcurrent provided by the power source 90. The inductively heated array ofcoaxial susceptor wires 82 thermally conducts heat to a matrix 78 (FIG.4). The matrix 78 may thermally conduct heat to a structure 10 to whichthe heating blanket 54 is mounted (See, e.g., FIGS. 1-3).

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the heating blanket 54 may include a housingdefining an interior 60. This interior may be formed of a suitablematerial which is preferably thermally conductive and which may also beflexible and/or resilient such that the heating blanket 54 may conformto curved areas to which it may be applied. In this regard, the housing58 is preferably formed of a pliable and/or conformable material havinga relatively high thermal conductivity and relatively low electricalconductivity. The housing 58 may comprise upper and lower face sheets62, 64 formed of silicone, rubber, polyurethane or other suitableelastomeric or flexible material that provides dimensional stability tothe housing 58 while maintaining flexibility for conforming the heatingblanket 54 to curved surfaces. Although shown as having a generallyhollow interior 60 bounded by the upper and lower face sheets 62, 64,the housing 58 may comprise an arrangement wherein the conductor 80 andthe associated magnetic material integrated or embedded within thehousing 58 such that the conductor 80 is encapsulated within the housing58 to form a unitary structure 50 that is preferably flexible forconforming to curved surfaces.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of certain components of theheating blanket 54 showing the flattened helical structure of theconductor 80 and the array of coaxial susceptor wires 82 residing withinthis helical structure in greater detail. In one preferred arrangement,and as illustrated in FIG. 5, the coaxial susceptor wires 82 arearranged within the helical conductor 80 such that a longitudinal axisof the array of coaxial susceptor wires 82 resides substantiallyperpendicular to an electrical current flowing through the helicalconductor 80. In this manner, the varying magnetic fields generated bythe helical conductor 80 induce eddy currents in the array of coaxialsusceptor wires 82 as will be discussed in greater detail herein.

A power supply 90 providing alternating current electric power may beconnected to the heating blanket 54 by means of the heating blanketwiring 56. The power supply 90 may be configured as a portable or fixedpower supply 90 which may be connected to a conventional 60 Hz, 110 voltor 220 volt outlet. Although the power supply 90 may be connected to aconventional 60 Hz outlet, the frequency of the alternating current thatis provided to the conductor 80 may preferably range from approximately1,000 Hz to approximately 400,000 Hz. The voltage provided to theconductor 80 may range from approximately 10 volts to approximately 300volts but is preferably less than approximately 60 volts. Likewise, thealternating current provided to the conductor 80 by the power supply ispreferably between approximately 10 amps and approximately 1000 amps.

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross sectional view of the array of coaxialsusceptor wires 82 that may be used with the heating blanket 54illustrated in FIGS. 2-5 taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 5. As illustrated,the array of coaxial susceptor wires 82 comprise a plurality of coaxialsusceptor wires 88 that may be loosely bundled together. In onepreferred arrangement, at least one of the coaxial susceptor wires 88within the bundled array of coaxial susceptor wires 82 comprise asusceptor core and at least one susceptor shell that surrounds thesusceptor core. In such a bundled configuration, the coaxial susceptorwires 82 are preferably spaced about on the order of 1.2 diameters apartfrom an adjacent susceptor wire.

For example, FIG. 7 illustrates a cross sectional view of one of thecoaxial susceptor wires 88 of the array of coaxial susceptor wires 82illustrated in FIG. 6. In one arrangement, the coaxial susceptor wire 88comprises a susceptor core 84 and a susceptor shell 86 surrounding thiscore 84. Preferably, in one arrangement, the susceptor core 84 comprisesa first Curie temperature alloy 124 and the susceptor shell 86 comprisesa second Curie temperature alloy 128 that is different from the firstCurie temperature alloy of the core 124.

More preferably, the susceptor core 84 comprises a first Curietemperature alloy 124 and the susceptor shell 86 comprises a secondCurie temperature alloy 128 wherein the second Curie temperature of theshell 86 is a lower temperature than the first Curie temperature alloyof the core 84. For example, in one preferred arrangement, the firstCurie temperature alloy comprises Alloy 34 having 34% Ni and 66% Fehaving a Curie temperature point about 450° F. and comprises anegligible magnetic properties above 400° F. In this same arrangement,the second Curie temperature alloy comprises Alloy 32 having 32% and 68%Fe having a Curie temperature of about 392° F. and comprises anegligible magnetic properties above 250° F. In such an arrangement, thelower Curie temperature alloy shell will act to shield the inner higherCurie temperature core so that only the shell alloy generates heat atlower temperatures.

Then, at higher temperatures, the permeability of the coaxial susceptorshell 86 having the lower Curie temperature will decrease to unity. Atthis lower permeability, the coaxial susceptor shell 86 becomessubstantially transparent to the magnetic field generated by theconductor 80. At this point, the alloy of the susceptor core 84 thengenerates heat with an enhanced temperature control over the highertemperatures. As such, the coaxial susceptor 82 comprising such a coreand shell configuration provides an enhanced level of temperatureregulation at the lower temperatures.

In one arrangement, more than one susceptor shell may be utilized. Forexample, a second shell 104 as illustrated in FIG. 7 may be provided tosurround the first susceptor shell 86. Similarly, the second shell 104may comprise a Curie temperature alloy that is different than (i.e.,lower than) the Curie temperature alloy of the first shell. Again, thissecond shell 104 will therefore act to shield the inner lower Curietemperature shell 86 and the higher Curie temperature core 84 so thatonly the second shell alloy 106 generates heat at the lowest of desiredtemperatures. Increasing the number of susceptor layers or susceptorshells provided around or surrounding the susceptor core 84 is thereforebeneficial to obtaining an enhanced temperature regulation over an evenwider range of operating temperatures.

The magnetic fields generated by the alternating current flowing throughthe helical conductor 80 wound in a Litz wire flattened helix (orsolenoid) and inducing eddy currents within the array of coaxialsusceptor wires 82 will now be described with reference to FIG. 6. Asthose of ordinary skill in the art recognize, a Litz wire is typicallyused to carry alternating current and may consist of many thin wirestrands, individually insulated and twisted or woven together.

As can be seen as an example in FIG. 6, seven (7) coaxial susceptorwires or conductors 82 are illustrated and these coaxial conductors 82reside between two alternating conductors of a helical conductor 80,such as the helical conductor 80 illustrated in FIG. 5. In one preferredhelical conductor arrangement, the helical conductor is of unitaryconstruction and comprises a single conductor that is wound from one endof the heating blanket to the other in a continuous, flattened helixshape. As just one example, if the helical conductor comprises a singleconductor such as helical conductor 80 illustrated in FIG. 5, thissingle conductor 80 may make ten (10) turns per inch in the helix.

In an alternative helical conductor arrangement, the helical conductormay comprise two or more conductors forming two or more parallelcircuits. Utilizing two or more conductors does not materially affectthe generated magnetic field as long as each conductor carriers the sameamount of current as the single conductor. With such a multipleconductor helical configuration, the controller 92 and sensor 94 may beoperated to adjust and maintain this type of desired current control.One advantage of such a multiple conductor helical configuration is thatit acts to reduce the voltage need to provide current from one end ofthe blanket to the other end of the blanket. For example, instead ofhaving one conductor making ten (10) turns per inch in the helix, themultiple conductor configuration may have, for example, ten (10)conductors making one (1) turn per inch.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, at least one of the coaxial susceptor wires 88comprises a susceptor core 84 and a susceptor shell 86 as illustrated inFIG. 7. The susceptor shell 86 is provided over this susceptor core 84.In addition, the coaxial susceptor wire 88 may be positioned an equaldistance from both a first, lower conductor portion 80A and a second,upper conductor portion 80B. The coaxial susceptor wires are preferablyelectrically insulated from these conductor portions 80A,B. Initially,the application of a first alternating current I_(i) 150 by way of apower source (FIG. 5) to the first conductor portion 80A produces analternating magnetic field lines 96A that comprise concentric circlesaround the cylindrically current carrying conductor 80A. In FIG. 6,these concentric circles 96A may be illustrated as comprising a firstmagnetic field 96 which is illustrated as directed perpendicularly outof the paper. Similarly, the application of a second alternating current160 (flowing in an opposite direction as the first alternation currentI_(i) 150) through the second conductor portion 80B produces analternating magnetic field lines 96B that comprise concentric circlesaround the cylindrically current carrying conductor 80B.

Because of the orientation of the first and second magnetic fields96A,B, these fields 96A,B will essentially cancel each another out onthe outside of the blanket 54, below the first conductor 80A as theyreside in opposite directions. Similarly, above the second or upperconductor 80B on the outside of the blanket 54, the first and secondmagnetic fields 96A,B will also essentially cancel one another out. Incontrast, within the heating blanket matrix 78 and hence within thecoaxial susceptors 82, the first and second magnetic fields 96A,B willbe additive to one another since both fields are oriented substantiallyparallel to the axis of the susceptor wires 82. This substantiallyparallel combined oscillating magnetic field 96A,B will thereforegenerate eddy currents that travel circumferentially within the coaxialsusceptors 82.

Initially, the concentration of the magnetic fields 96A and 96B resultsin relatively large eddy currents that are generated in the coaxialsusceptor outer shell 86 of the coaxial conductors 82. The induced eddycurrents result in resistive heating of the coaxial susceptor shell 86.The susceptor shell 86 conductively heats the matrix 78 and thestructure 10 in thermal contact with the heating blanket 54. (FIGS. 5-8)The heating of the susceptor shell 86 continues during application ofthe alternating current until the magnetic material of the susceptorshell 86 approaches its Curie temperature, which again in thisillustrated arrangement is lower than the Curie temperature of thesusceptor core 84. Importantly, during this initial heating process, thesusceptor shell 86 acts to shield the higher magnetic Curie pointmaterial of the susceptor core 84. Such shielding by the susceptor shell86 acts to prevent the higher Curie point material of the susceptor core84 from dominating heating at the lower temperatures.

Upon approaching the temperature where the magnetic properties of thesusceptor shell 86 become negligible (i.e., when the thickness of thesusceptor shell is on the order or less than the electrical skin depth),the coaxial susceptor shell 86 becomes non-magnetic. At thisnon-magnetic point, the magnetic fields 96A,B generated by the firstconductor portion and the second conductor portion 80A,B are no longereffective on the susceptor shell 86 (which now has a mu of approximately1). The induced eddy currents and associated resistive heating of thesusceptor shell 86 therefore diminishes to a level sufficient tomaintain the temperature of the susceptor shell 82 at the lower Curietemperature. Once the lower Curie temperature of the susceptor shell 82is achieved, temperature regulation by way of the susceptor core 84 withhigher Curie temperature commences.

As the susceptor shell 86 no longer generates heat and as a result ofthe close proximity of the susceptor core 84 of the coaxial susceptorwire 88 to the conductor 80, the concentration of the magnetic field 96Bresults in relatively large eddy currents in the coaxial susceptor core84. The induced eddy currents within the susceptor core 84 result inresistive heating of the coaxial susceptor core 84. The susceptor core84 therefore conductively heats the matrix 78 and the structure 10 inthermal contact with the heating blanket 54 (FIG. 3). The heating of thesusceptor core 84 continues during application of the alternatingcurrent I_(i) 150 and I_(ii) 160 until the magnetic material of thesusceptor core 84 approaches its Curie temperature, which again in thisillustrated arrangement comprises a higher Curie temperature than theCurie temperature of the susceptor shell 86. Upon reaching the higherCurie temperature of the susceptor core 84, the coaxial susceptor core84 becomes non-magnetic. At this non-magnetic point, the magnetic fields96A,B are no longer concentrated in the susceptor core 84. The inducededdy currents and associated resistive heating of the susceptor core 84therefore diminishes to a level sufficient to maintain the temperatureof the susceptor core 84 at the higher Curie temperature.

As an example of the heating of the magnetic material to the Curietemperature, FIG. 8 illustrates a plot of heat output 130 measured overtemperature 132 for an exemplary heating blanket comprising an array ofcoaxial smart susceptors as disclosed herein. Specifically, the heatingblanket may comprise an array of coaxial susceptors mounted within aconductor 80 wherein the conductor 80 comprises a Litz wire formed as aflattened helix as illustrated in FIG. 5. Specifically, to generate thedata presented in this graph, the array of coaxial susceptors comprise aquantity of forty (40) 20 mil diameter/inch and were inductively heatedby way of a 100e, 300 magnetic field. The coaxial susceptors comprised asusceptor core comprising a 13 mil diameter alloy 34 (34% Ni and 66% Fe)core and a 3.5 mil thick alloy 32 (32% Ni and 68% Fe) shell. As those ofordinary skill in the art will recognize, alternative core and shellconfigurations may also be utilized. As can he seen in FIG. 8, thiscoaxial susceptor arrangement provided an extended useful temperaturerange for such a coaxial smart susceptor including a controlledtemperature range from about 60° F. to about 380° F. It should be notedthat typically, in certain applications, more heat is needed tocompensate for higher heat losses at higher temperatures as thosetemperatures illustrated in FIG. 8. In order to provide the requiredincrease in heat, the current and therefore the magnetic fields areincreased as necessary by increasing the power supply current. Thisincrease in current will effectively shift the curve in FIG. 8 upward soas to provide a desired amount of heat while still maintaining the samenegative slope curve shape while providing a greater amount of heat tocooler areas, such as those located near heat sinks. (see e.g., heatsink 28 and FIG. 1).

FIG. 9 is an illustration of an alternative coaxial susceptor andconductor arrangement 200 that may be used in a heating blanket, such asthe heating blanket 54 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. In this illustratedalternative arrangement 200, the coaxial susceptor 210 comprises aspring shaped coaxial susceptor and is wound around a conductor 220. Inone preferred arrangement, the coaxial susceptor 210 comprises a coreand shell arrangement as describe and illustrated in FIG. 7, howeveralternative coaxial susceptor arrangements may also be utilized.

For example, FIG. 10 is an illustration of an alternative layout of thealternative coaxial susceptor and conductor arrangement illustrated inFIG. 9. And FIG. 11 illustrates a top view of an alternative heatingblanket arrangement 254 showing the meandering pattern of the conductor220 and the array of coaxial susceptor wires 210 within the housing 258.In one preferred arrangement, the array of coaxial susceptor wires 210comprise spring formed coaxial wires as illustrated in FIG. 9. Suchsusceptor 10 may be wound around the conductor 220 such that alongitudinal axis of the array of coaxial susceptor wires 210 issubstantially perpendicular to an electrical current flowing through theconductor 220 and generating a magnetic field parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the susceptor wires 210. In this manner, a varyingmagnetic field generated by the conductor 220 induces eddy currents inthe array of coaxial susceptor wires 210 as will be discussed in greaterdetail herein.

A power supply 290 providing alternating current electric power may beconnected to the heating blanket 254 by means of the heating blanketwiring 256. The power supply 290 may be configured as a portable orfixed power supply 290 which may be connected to a conventional 60 Hz,110 volt or 220 volt outlet. Although the power supply 290 may beconnected to a conventional 60 Hz outlet, the frequency of thealternating current that is provided to the conductor 220 may preferablyrange from approximately 1000 Hz to approximately 400,000 Hz. Thevoltage provided to the conductor 220 may range from approximately 10volts to approximately 300 volts but is preferably less thanapproximately 60 volts. Likewise, the frequency of the alternatingcurrent provided to the conductor 220 by the power supply is preferablybetween approximately 10 amps and approximately 1000 amps. In thisregard, the power supply 290 may be provided in a constant-currentconfiguration wherein the voltage across the conductor 220 may decreaseas the magnetic materials within the heating blanket 254 approach theCurie temperature at which the voltage may cease to increase when theCurie temperature is reached as described in greater detail below.

Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, shown is an embodiment of the magneticblanket 254 having a spring coaxial susceptor 210 formed of magneticmaterial having a Curie temperature and provided around a conductor 220.The coaxial susceptor 210 may be formed as a solid or unitary componentin a cylindrical arrangement in a spiral or spring configuration aroundthe conductor 220 in order to enhance the flexibility of the heatingblanket 254. As can be seen in FIG. 13, the coaxial susceptor 210 mayextend along a length of the conductor 220 within the housing 258. Thecoaxial susceptor 210 may be coaxially mounted relative to the conductor220. The application of alternating current to the conductor 220produces an alternating magnetic field 296. The magnetic field 296 isabsorbed by the magnetic material from which the coaxial susceptor 210is formed causing the coaxial susceptor 210 to be inductively heated.

More particularly and referring to FIG. 13, the flow of alternatingcurrent through the conductor 220 results in the generation of themagnetic field 296 surrounding the coaxial susceptor 210. Eddy currents298 generated within the coaxial susceptor 210 as a result of exposurethereof to the magnetic field 296 causes inductive heating of thecoaxial susceptor 210. The housing 258 may include a thermallyconductive matrix 278 material such as silicone to facilitate thermalconduction of the heat generated by the coaxial susceptor 210 to thesurface of the heating blanket 254. The magnetic material from which thecoaxial susceptor 210 is formed preferably has a high magneticpermeability and a Curie temperature that corresponds to the desiredtemperature to which a structure is to be heated by the heating blanket254. The coaxial susceptor 210 and conductor 220 are preferably sizedand configured such that at temperatures below the Curie temperature ofthe magnetic material, the magnetic field 296 is concentrated in thecoaxial susceptor 210 due to the magnetic permeability of the material.

As a result of the close proximity of the coaxial susceptor 210 to theconductor 220, the concentration of the magnetic field 296 results inrelatively large eddy currents 298 in the coaxial susceptor 298. Theinduced eddy currents 298 result in resistive heating of the coaxialsusceptor 210. The coaxial susceptor 210 conductively heats the matrix278 and a structure 10 (FIGS. 1-3) in thermal contact with the heatingblanket 254. The heating of the core and shell of coaxial susceptor 210occurs as previously described herein with reference to FIG. 6.

The magnetic materials of the coaxial susceptor shell and core may beprovided in a variety of compositions including, but not limited to, ametal, an alloy, or any other suitable material having a suitable Curietemperature. For example, the coaxial susceptor may be formed of analloy having a composition of 32 wt. % Ni-64 wt. % Fe having a Curietemperature of approximately 390° F. The alloy may also be selected ashaving a composition of 34 wt. % Ni-66 wt. % Fe having a Curietemperature of approximately 450° F. However, the coaxial susceptor maybe formed of a variety of other magnetic materials such as alloys whichhave Curie temperatures in the range of the particular application suchas the range of the adhesive curing temperature or the curingtemperature of the composite material from which the patch may beformed. Metals comprising the magnetic material may include iron, cobaltor nickel. Alloys from which the magnetic material may be formed maycomprise a combination of the above-described metals including, but notlimited to, iron, cobalt and nickel.

Likewise, the presently disclosed conductor (such as the conductor 80illustrated in FIGS. 4-6 and the conductor 220 illustrated in FIGS.9-12) may be formed of any suitable material having an electricalconductivity. Furthermore, the conductor is preferably formed offlexible material to facilitate the application of the heating blanketto curved surfaces. In this regard, the conductor may be formed of Litzwire or other similar wire configurations having a flexible nature andwhich are configured for carrying high frequency alternating currentwith minimal weight. The conductor material preferably possesses arelatively low electrical resistance in order to minimize unwantedand/or uncontrollable resistive heating of the conductor. The conductormay be provided as a single strand of wire of unitary construction orthe conductor may be formed of braided material such as braided cable.In addition, the conductor may comprise a plurality of conductors whichmay be electrically connected in parallel in order to minimize themagnitude of the voltage otherwise required for relative long lengths ofthe conductor such as may be required for large heating blanketconfigurations.

Referring back to FIGS. 12 and 13, the heat blanket housing 258 may beformed of a flexible material to provide thermal conduction of heatgenerated by the susceptor sleeve to the structure to which the heatingblanket is applied. In order to minimize environmental heat losses fromthe heating blanket 254, an insulation layer 268 may be included asillustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13. The insulation layer 268 may compriseinsulation 272 formed of silicone or other suitable material to minimizeheat loss by radiation to the environment. In addition, the insulationlayer 268 may improve the safety and thermal efficiency of the heatingblanket 254. As was indicated above, the housing 258 of the heatingblanket 254 may be formed of any suitable high temperature material suchas silicone or any other material having a suitable thermal conductivityand low electrical conductivity. Such material may include, but is notlimited to, silicone, rubber and polyurethanes or any other thermallyconductive material that is preferably flexible.

Referring back to FIGS. 5 and 11, the heating blankets 54,254 mayinclude thermal sensors such as thermocouples or other suitabletemperature sensing devices for monitoring heat at locations along thearea of the heating blankets 54,254 in contact with the structure 10(FIG. 3). Alternatively, the heating blankets 54,254 may include avoltage sensor 94,294 or other sensing devices connected to the powersupply 90,290 as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 11.

Referring still to FIGS. 5 and 11, sensors 94,294 may be configured toindicate the voltage level provided by power supplies 90,290,respectively. For a constant current configuration of heating blankets54,254, the voltage may decrease as the magnetic material approaches theCurie temperature. Power supplies 90,290 may also be configured tofacilitate adjustment of the frequency of the alternating current inorder to alter the heating rate of the magnetic material. In thisregard, power supplies 90,290 may be coupled to a respective controller92,292 in order to facilitate adjustment of the alternating current overa predetermined range in order to facilitate the application of aheating blanket to a wide variety of structures having different heatingrequirements.

The presently disclosed coaxial susceptor provides a number ofadvantages. For example, it provides for a heating blanket that providesuniform, controlled heating of large surface areas. In addition, aproper selection of the metal or alloy in the susceptors' shell and thesusceptors' core facilitates avoiding excessive heating of the workpiece irrespective of the input power. By predetermining the susceptorshell and core metal alloys, improved control and temperature uniformityin the work piece facilitates consistent production of work pieces. TheCurie temperature phenomenon of both the core and at least one shell(again, more than one shell may be utilized) is used to control both thetemperature ranges as well as the absolute temperature of the workpiece. This Curie temperature phenomenon is also utilized to obtainsubstantial thermal uniformity in the work piece, by matching the Curietemperature of the susceptor to the desired temperature of the inductionheating operation being performed.

The description of the different advantageous embodiments has beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description, and is notintended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments in the formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art. Further, different advantageousembodiments may provide different advantages as compared to otheradvantageous embodiments. The embodiment or embodiments selected arechosen and described in order to best explain the principles of theembodiments, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinaryskill in the art to understand the disclosure for various embodimentswith various modifications as are suited to the particular usecontemplated.

1. A method for heating a structure using a susceptor array, the methodcomprising: placing the susceptor array near the structure, thesusceptor array comprising (i) a susceptor core having a first Curietemperature, (ii) a susceptor shell coaxially arranged around thesusceptor core, the susceptor shell having a second Curie temperaturethat is different from the first Curie temperature, and (iii) aconductor comprising a first portion and a second portion, wherein thesusceptor core and the susceptor shell are between the first portion andthe second portion; and causing a first electric current to flow throughthe conductor, thereby heating the structure by inducing a secondelectric current within the susceptor core and the susceptor shell. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the second Curie temperature is less thanthe first Curie temperature, the method further comprising: causing thesusceptor shell to reach a temperature that is equal to the second Curietemperature; and responsively attenuating the second electric currentwithin the susceptor shell.
 3. The method of claim 2, the method furthercomprising: after causing the susceptor shell to reach the temperaturethat is equal to the second Curie temperature, causing the susceptorcore to reach a temperature that is equal to the first Curietemperature; and responsively attenuating the second electric currentwithin the susceptor core.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondCurie temperature is greater than the first Curie temperature, themethod further comprising: causing the susceptor core to reach atemperature that is equal to the first Curie temperature; andresponsively attenuating the second electric current within thesusceptor core.
 5. The method of claim 4, the method further comprising:after causing the susceptor core to reach the temperature that is equalto the first Curie temperature, causing the susceptor shell to reach atemperature that is equal to the second Curie temperature; andresponsively attenuating the second electric current within thesusceptor shell.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the susceptor coreand/or the susceptor shell comprise a ferromagnetic material.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the susceptor shell has a radial depth withina range of about 2 mils to 10 mils.
 8. The method of claim 1, whereinthe susceptor core has a diameter within a range of about 5 mils to 15mils.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the susceptor shell comprises analloy comprising approximately 32% nickel and 68% iron.
 10. The methodof claim 1, wherein the susceptor core comprises an alloy comprisingapproximately 34% nickel and 66% iron.
 11. A method for heating astructure using a susceptor array, the method comprising: placing thesusceptor array near the structure, the susceptor array comprising (i) asusceptor core having a first Curie temperature, (ii) a susceptor shellcoaxially arranged around the susceptor core, the susceptor shell havinga second Curie temperature that is different from the first Curietemperature, and (iii) a conductor, wherein the susceptor core and thesusceptor shell are wrapped around the conductor; and causing a firstelectric current to flow through the conductor, thereby heating thestructure by inducing a second electric current within the susceptorcore and the susceptor shell.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein thesecond Curie temperature is less than the first Curie temperature, themethod further comprising: causing the susceptor shell to reach atemperature that is equal to the second Curie temperature; andresponsively attenuating the second electric current within thesusceptor shell.
 13. The method of claim 12, the method furthercomprising: after causing the susceptor shell to reach the temperaturethat is equal to the second Curie temperature, causing the susceptorcore to reach a temperature that is equal to the first Curietemperature; and responsively attenuating the second electric currentwithin the susceptor core.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein thesecond Curie temperature is greater than the first Curie temperature,the method further comprising: causing the susceptor core to reach atemperature that is equal to the first Curie temperature; andresponsively attenuating the second electric current within thesusceptor core.
 15. The method of claim 14, the method furthercomprising: after causing the susceptor core to reach the temperaturethat is equal to the first Curie temperature, causing the susceptorshell to reach a temperature that is equal to the second Curietemperature; and responsively attenuating the second electric currentwithin the susceptor shell.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein thesusceptor core and/or the susceptor shell comprise a ferromagneticmaterial.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the susceptor shell has aradial depth within a range of about 2 mils to 10 mils.
 18. The methodof claim 11, wherein the susceptor core has a diameter within a range ofabout 5 mils to 15 mils.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein thesusceptor shell comprises an alloy comprising approximately 32% nickeland 68% iron.
 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the susceptor corecomprises an alloy comprising approximately 34% nickel and 66% iron.